Kroenke tells paper he wants Rams to stay put

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Billionaire Stan Kroenke says he wants to keep the Rams in St. Louis.

Kroenke told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he will do "everything" he can to keep the Rams in his home state of Missouri. The comments, published Wednesday, are his first since announcing he wants to buy the 60 percent of the team he doesn't yet own.

Illinois businessman Shahid Khan is also bidding for the 60 percent stake in the Rams. Kroenke declined to comment on details of his bid and he has not returned repeated calls from The Associated Press.

The team's majority owner and chairman, Chip Rosenbloom, told the Post-Dispatch there's no reason to believe Kroenke isn't committed to keeping the team in St. Louis.

Rosenbloom said in an e-mail to the AP that he couldn't comment on details of the sales process.

Kroenke, who lives in Columbia, Mo., also owns the NBA's Denver Nuggets and the NHL's Colorado Avalanche.